Published on Jul 23, 2003
The Pixies. Anyway you look at it, they were a truly seminal
band. In fact, that term does not do them justice. The Pixies, it
seems, were playing a different ballgame from every other band out
there at the time. Through Black Francis’ almost unbelievable
songwriting, the Pixies packed a severe punch, landing four
incredible albums in a short amount of time, and then, they were no
more. It is the opinion of many that the Pixies are found at their
best in material from their first two albums proper — Surfer Rosa
and Doolittle. Indeed,
Trompe Le Monde, their fourth and last album, is often
ranked as their worst (if such a term can be used — there are no
bad Pixies songs, it’s that simple).
Trompe Le Monde is, however, a truly magnificent album.
Though Black Francis essentially allowed no other creative input by
this time, the album is simply stellar (no pun intended). The sound
is somehow more complete that in previous Pixies albums, and
although this can lead one to believe the songs by this point were
far from striking impulsive,
Trompe Le Monde is a collection of 15 remarkable tracks.
Subject matter revolves largely around Francis’ obsession with
science fiction, specifically alien encounters. “Planet Of Sound”
recounts a trip to another world, “Alec Eiffel” reveals the Eiffel
Tower to be a space rocket, “Lovely Day” tells of infatuation with
an extra-terrestrial lady, and “Motorway To Roswell” remembers a
close encounter of the third kind. One can be forgiven for assuming
these tracks, given their subject matter, are laughable. The
Pixies, however, with delightful riffs and awesome imagery, paint a
truly vivid picture.
Album highlights include “U-Mass,” an ode to the University of
Massachusetts, which makes an infectiously catchy impression with
overdiven, choppy guitar and some frankly demented vocals. “Letter
To Memphis” makes an appearance at last, having been in the Pixies
repertoire since the early days, and evidently does not lose any
impact. Who else sings of a letter from Egypt from a former life?
Additionally,
Trompe Le Monde captures the band with some mature and
sedated tracks in the form of “Bird Dream Of The Olympus Mons” and
“Navajo Know.” Their musical ability extends to much slower and
less dynamic songs here, and goes some way to extending their
legacy.
It is said that
Trompe Le Monde was met with a lukewarm reception upon its
release because, very simply, nothing was ever going to live up to
their first two albums. Importantly, however, it is also said that
had any other band released this album, they would have been hailed
beyond belief. It is no exaggeration to say that innumerable bands’
best does not even come close to the weakest songs on
Trompe Le Monde, allegedly the Pixies’ weakest album. Forget
what you think you know and live with
Trompe Le Monde for a month. It will change the way you look
at music.